Belt fastener



Feb. 6; 1940. J. c. OLSEN 2,189,291 BELT FASTENER Filed Feb. 14, 1958 I NV EN TOR A TTORNEY Patented Fel 1940 UNITED STATES:

' PATENTOFFICE e r BELT FASTENER, John 0. Olsen, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Flexible,,

.poration 'of Illinois ApplicationFebi-uary 14, 1933,

Steel Lacing Company, Chicago, 111., a cor- I Serial No. 190,391

3 14 Claims. 1 (c1. sos- -2 This invention relates to improvement in belt fastener and more particularly a belt fastener of the general type for V or side driving belts such as disclosed in my prior Patent No.2,069,385, granted Feb. 2," 1937. s r 4 In fasteners of the general type shown insaid patent, that is, fasteners employing links and rockerhinge pins, the hinge pins are subjected to very serious stresses and therefore relatively j rapid wear, thus requiring fairly frequent replacement. Rocker hinge pins such as shown in Figures 6 and 7 of said patent for the wider classes of belts, are comparatively expensive to manufacture so that the necessityfor morejor less frequent replacements, combined with the) fairly high cost thereof, militate against a more extensive use thereof. l v

The present invention, therefore, has for an object an improved V or. side driving belt fastener of that type employing a linker links and rocker hinge pins and, more specifically, an improved rocker hinge pin which can be manufactured at farless cost than prior rocker hinge pins used for a similar purpose.- l

A specific objectof this invention is to provide a rocker hinge pinof the type hereinbefore indicated, such that both sections or elements of the hinge pin may be made from the same extruded shaped wire stocktdthe end that the number of machine operations required to finish the parts can be reducedto a minimum.

Other objects of the invention, such as the spectives, upon an enlarged scale, of the two complemental elements of a complete rocker hinge pin of the type shown in Figures land 2.

' In said drawing, ic-JEJ indicatethe adjacent ends of a V or side driving beltto which the improved belt fastener is adapted to be applied].

As shown, the improved fastener comprises two ,attaching members A--A-; two sets of; links B--B; two rocker hinge pins CC; outer sets 'ofbearings DD; and center bearings E.

The attaching members'A are of like' forni slots 24. g jg a The other hinge pin element-30 has its ashand each is preferablyvof bail-like formation having an outer or top wide arm l|,inner or bottom narrower arm l2 and a connecting bight l3. The arms H and I2 overlie the outer and inner faces of the belt as will be apparent, and" each fastener issecured to itsrespective belt preferably by a plurality of nail or pin-like securing elements 445-44 disposed transversely of the belt, as clearlyshown. H

The bights of the attachingmernbers are provided with slots or apertures I A separated nterally of the members A and throughwhich are adapted to be extended, the ends of the'links B-,-B and also within whichare received portions of the outer bearings D. Each of the bearings D, as shown, is-of cylindrical form adapted to conform to and fit within the round'ed apex of thebight I3, each said bearingp having an arcuate flange I5 seated within the aperture, l4 which is preferably additionally notched as in dicated at It to receive the arcuate flange" and prevent the bearing'from rotating. Thecenter bearing E is of cylindrical formation and-of such length as to snuglyfit betweenthetwo sets of links BB and by fwhich the center and end bearings are maintained separated, as will be apparent,

The links B, each of which preferably consists r of two relatively thin plate-like sta'mpings' are apertured at their ends, as indicated at 11, to

receive therein the rocker hinge pinsjC. Said apertures H; are vsomewhat elongated in the directionof length of'the links and, at their outer ends :are provided with iiatedgesflfl cooperable' with corresponding notches in one'ofsthe rocker hinge pin elements, ashereinafter described.

- Each of the rocker hinge pins consists of two elements 20 and 30, the details of construction of which are-best illustratedin Figures3 and 4.

As shown, the element'zil isforrnedat its central portionwith a re-entrant V section 21 and on either side thereof and contiguous thereto, With knife edge sections 22- 22. shown, the knife edges proper of the sections 22 coincide with the apex ofthe re entrant V As clearly angle section 2!. At each extreme end, the hinge pin element Ellis preferably provided with end flanges 23-23, each of which, it will be noted, is of the same-cross sectional'formand size as the re-en'trant V sectionZl. f For the purpose hereinafter described,said flanges 23 arepreferably provided, on their outer faces' with screw tral portion of knife edge cross section, as indicated at 3i, and at each end thereof and con- ,tiguous thereto, is of re-entrant V-formation, as

indicated at 3232. As in the case of the hinge pin element 26, so in the case of the hinge pin.

element 39, the knife edge proper of the central section iii coincides with the apices of the reentrant v sections (iii-32. The hinge pin element 38 is also provided, on that side opposite the knife edge; with transverse notches 33-33 so looated"astrto'cooperate withth'e links, as shown in Figures 1 and. 2 to thereby provide a non-rookable engagement between each element'- 313 and the link. As will be understood, the

outer surfaces of both hinge pin elements 2ll3d are cylindrical with the axis coinciding with the knife edges proper and the radius such that the rocker hinge pins will seat properly within the, bearings D and E. It will further be observed that the overall length of the element 30 is such. as to loosely fit between the-endflanges 23 of-the element-'29 so as to prevent relative endwise shift'between the two elements, said flanges 23 also serving the purpose of excluding entrance of dirt'or other foreign matter endwiseinto the rocker hinge pin.

In actual'practice, the lengths of the knife edge and; re-entrant sections will preferably be made substantially equal and, where there are three sections as shown, each such section will occupy approximately one third. the length'of the hinge pm element. As clear from inspection of Figs ures-3 and 4,;the knife edge sections and re entrant V- sections of one element are staggered with respect to those of the other element, thus'providing for a series of. complementa-l but alternately disposed contiguous sets of cooperable rocking knife edge and Ire-entrant 'V formations throughout the length of the rocker hinge pin. As will beobvious from Figure 2, the included angle of the knife edge sections is sufficiently less than the re-entrant V angle as to allow of the desired degree of rocking action between the two elements of the hinge pin.

Special attention is directed "to the fact that both elements of. the hinge pin may be made from thesame shape of extruded wire stock, that is, stock of the re-entrant V cross section. Because of this, the elements of the hinge pin requiremilling only in those portions which ultimately become the knife edge sections 22, 3 l, and, furthermore, both elements of a hinge pin may be milled in tandem from the same wire or rod; All these factors, use of the same stock for both elements, reduced machining operations and ability to machine both elements in tandem, greatly reducethe cost of manufacture as compared with rocker hinge pins of generally similar character heretofore employed. Furthermore, amoreefhcient and longer life bearing is obtained because of the equalized lengths of the alternately disposed. sets of knife edges and reentrant V formations, there being a very noticeably less tendency for the rocker hinge pin to work itself endwise within its bearings, and which factor, heretofore, has also tended to wear out i the fastener more rapidly. Furthermore, the rocker'hinge pins are in three bearings, as hereinbefore described, thus minimizing any tendency of the hinge pins to bend under load. p

Referring to the end slots 24, the purpose of these is to facilitate rotating the hinge pins by means of a screwdriver or the like,.-wheninserting them or removing them. As will be clear from Figure 2, the links seat in the notches 33- g ofthe hinge-pins when the parts are completely assembled to thereby prevent the hinge pins from accidentally coming out. Assembling is facilitated by positioning he hinge pins so that the notches 33 thereof are turned or more from their operative position, so that the hinge pins may be slipped endwise until the notches are in the planes of. the links whereupon the hinge pins may be rotated until the notches engage with the links. The reverse action is employed when disassembling. I

There has herein been shown and described what is now considered the preferred embodiment' of the invention, but the same is merely illustrative, and all changes and modifications are contemplated that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A fastener for the ends of a belt comprising:

two attaching members, each of bail-like formation and having the b ight thereof provided with a pair of laterally separated apertures; links having their ends apertured and entered through said apertures of the-attaching members; a set comprised of a'center and two end bearings disposed within the bight of. each said member, said bearings being separatedby said links; and a rocker hinge pin seated in each set of bearings and extending through the corresponding apertures of the links, each rocker hinge pin comprising two elements, each of said elements being formed with contiguous knife edge and re-entrant V- formations alternated lengthwise of the element, the knife edges of one element being dissame shapedstcck, the knife edge and re-entrant V formations ofone element being staggered withrespect to those of the other element to thereby provide a series of complemental but alternately disposed sets of contiguous cooperable, rocking knife edge and re-entrant V formations lengthwise of'the rocker hinge pin, one of said elements having both of its end formations of the knife edge form and provided, at its extreme ends with flanges adapted to. overlie the ends of the other element, said flanges being of the same cross sectional shape and size as the re-entrant V formation of the hinge pin element.

, 3. As an article of manufacture, a rocker hinge pin for belt fasteners, said hinge pin comprising two elements each or which is formed with like knife edge and re-entrant V formations alterhated and contiguous lengthwise of the element whereby both elements may be made from the same shaped stock, the knife edge and re-entrant ,V formations of one element being staggered with ments being notched, for the reception of a link,

on its sideopposite the side of the knife and V formations thereof, one vof said elements being also provided with a transverse slot at the end thereof to facilitate rotation of the rocker pin as by a screwdriver for assemblingw ith and disassembling from a link and other parts of a complete fastener.

4. As an article of. manufacture, a rockerhinge pinof the type described, said hinge pin compris 10 tions of the two elements being alike whereby both elements may be made from the same shaped stock, the knife edge and re-entrant V-formations of one element being longitudinally staggered with respect to those of. the other element to thereby provide a series 01 contiguous, alternately, oppositely disposed sets of cooperable rocking knife edge and re-entrant V-formation; bearings lengthwise of the rocker hinge pin.

- JOHN c. OLSEN. l0 

